Alek Hoskins Blog

My 5 top tips I would give to other photographers

Here are the top 5 tips I would give to any aspiring photographer! These are all based off mistakes I have made in the past and hopefully I can save you from making the same mistakes.

1.The gear really doesn’t matter.

Any photographer with a certain level of experience will tell you that the gear doesn’t matter. I agree with this for every amateur photographer in the world. I my self have used cameras from my IPhone to a 1dx and 300mm f/2.8 combo. Of course there is going to be a difference but for the everyday amateur with regular application, any camera will be fine. Also, “kit lens” doesn’t mean “crap lens” the only reason I am no longer shooting with my 18-55 kit lens is because it physically wont mount on a full frame body such as my 5dii.

2.Don’t get caught up researching gear. The more time you spend researching gear the less time you’re spending progressing.

I get it, we’re all guilty of it, myself especially. It’s easy to get sucked into watching hours of YouTube reviews, scrolling through petapixel gear rumours and flicking through a B&H catalogue that gets sent to your door. Chances are you don’t need that new ultra fast, ultra wide or that 52 megapixel full frame mirrorless body. Researching gear is one of the most unproductive activities I have come across. You begin to start thinking you need that new lens and you won’t shoot till you have it. In all honesty though, gear limitations can push you so far in your photography. Currently I shoot the majority of my work with a canon 5dmkii and a borrowed canon 50 1.4 and it’s really taught me a lot.

3.You think you know everything, you actually know extremely little.

There’s a couple of must-do steps on your way to becoming a photographer.

-Get a facebook page

-Join photography groups and complain when people positively critique your images and you defensively call it artistic

-Ask EVERYONE to stand in front of your camera

-Look for models when 99% of your friends turn down your offer

The list can go on for hours, the reality is we’ve all done it. Slowly your ego grows and you think you know everything until you start working alongside professional shooters that will really make you check yourself. I can thank the boys over at speednation.com.au for showing me how little I really knew and teaching me how to tackle my next lesson.

4.ALWAYS learn

Don’t be afraid to learn from your peers. It’s the best thing you can do. Go into conversations with an open mind, you really can learn a lot from anything.

5.Print your photos, it is so cheap and easy these days.

Receiving prints in the mail can be the most satisfying feeling ever. It really makes you re-evaluate your work and it looks great hanging on a wall. After looking through thousands of digital files it’s nice to have something tangible to look at.

6.Bonus tip!

Make friends with people with lots of gear, every photo in this post was shot with borrowed lenses.